Monday Morning Manna: Going Home Again – Not so Bad

Have you ever returned to a place that was once home, only to be surprised as to how much it had changed? I did so recently (I have twelve cities that I have called home for a time). Proud of the progress, I was likewise sad that much of the old was either gone or in disrepair. Very few friends were still there. It made me think of the words of the country song that says, “Everyone around here now’s a stranger. They don’t know they walk on sacred ground. They can’t see what I can see –these apparition memories still talking, still walking around.” One day Jesus went back to his hometown of Nazareth where some had heard about Him and, “they were offended at Him” (Mark 6:3). I’m sure Jesus was disappointed more than once in His public ministry, but surely this was a huge disappointment, to be rejected in His hometown. I wasn’t rejected on my recent trip back in time, and neither will you likely be rejected with similar trips. However, it shows us how much more Jesus suffered, on our behalf. Indeed, He was “despised and rejected by men” (Isaiah 53:3). On second thought, my trip back wasn’t so bad after all.

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.